Different Roads
by DragonSinger21
Summary: Stand sequel, 20 years after the superflu. The forces of good and evil each choose a new member to fight for them. What happens when they choose twin sisters? Okay, bad summary. See user profile for better summary.
1. New Uprising

Author's note: Okay, I know this is my first posted fanfic, but I've had them in my head many times in the past, and have written many original stories that supposedly aren't bad, so I'm giving it a try. Sorry for the lengthiness of my work, but I write long, it's in my nature. There is nothing I can do about it. If you don't like it, well, that's your problem. Don't worry, I think you'll know if it's to your liking not too far into it. And, unlike works of my friends (and collaborations between them and myself, and even maybe some of my own works in the future) which may not be very - shall we say, serious? - this one is not intended as humor, so don't let my reputation (or what will be my reputation soon, undoubtedly) of tangerine-based comedy stand in your way. Enjoy, and please, review. I've never been reviewed on this stuff by anyone besides the people I see every day...

This is sort of a sequel to Stephen King's The Stand. disclaimerness I do not own The Stand, nor do I own any of Mr. Stephen King's works. I do, however, own any and all characters that are...well, that are not featured in the book Duh.... Please read, and I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to hearing your responses. On with the show! Er...fanfic. Right. On with the fanfic, that's what I meant. -nervous laugh- -sees tangerine in the distance runs- -off to go get it-

Random announcing voice from nowhere (RAVFN): Finally, she's gone. Now we can actually begin. Until she catches that citrus fruit, anyway.

Warning: The author is not a normal person. She is slightly insane and loves all things citrus. She may reappear before other chapters, as well. You have been warned.

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"Crystal?" Lilly asked, sounding distraught.

"What?" Crystal asked, sounding slightly irritated. She was sick of her twin sister's questions. She knew what they had to do, and Lilly didn't, because she didn't have to. End of story, case closed. At least, that was how Crystal saw it.

"How long 'till we're in the desert? I'm freezing!" Crystal looked over at her sister, and started to laugh at the sight of the 5'7" eighteen-year-old girl with the perfect waist-length brown hair, narrow waist, and deep blue eyes standing there in a mini skirt, short-sleeved shirt and sneakers, turned slightly blue from standing in the ankle-deep Colorado snow.

"That's because you decided to wear clothes like that while we were back in Georgia," Crystal teased. "Although I don't understand it. Who's gonna see you done up like that, anyway? Sure, it's been around twenty years since the epidemic, but the population is still pretty thin. Almost none of the cities are inhabited yet, except for the scattered few, like Atlanta, where we're from. And we should be there in several weeks, maybe a month, give or take a few days. I'm not sure. I've never walked to Nevada before."

"Well, all you said was 'wake up, you idiot, we're going.' You never said _where_ we were going. Why the heck are we going to Las Vegas, anyway? We already know it's gone!"

"Because I need to find out why, find out what _really_ happened, not just what happened in the stories people tell about it. I need to find out what _really_ happened to him." Crystal's eyes were cold all of a sudden, colder than usual. The girls were nearly identical, but not quite. Crystal's hair was a coppery blonde, and her eyes were paler, holding either angry fire or uncaring ice, depending on her mood, but never the warm depth her sister's did. She had the same basic joyfulness, sometimes to the extent of seeming perky, but there was something about her that had always made Lilly very nervous. Even stranger was the fact that she seemed unaffected by temperatures, cold or hot, and every day wore a tee-shirt and jeans, though before this trip, she'd gotten a hold of a denim jacket and exchanged her normal sandals for boots that made an overly-audible 'click' on hard surfaces. Something was strange about her sister, Lilly knew that now more than ever, when a glimpse of Crystal out of the corner of her eye would make her heart leap in fear.

"We know what happened. It was a nuclear bomb. They destroy everything, there'll be nothing left to investigate! You can't find anything out from a site like that. All we're gonna manage to do is get ourselves killed by radiation!" Lilly objected.

"We won't get hurt, and I _will_ find what I'm looking for," Crystal said, blankly. "I know it."

"How could you know it?"

"_He_ told me." She smiled at her sister. To the random onlooker, she would've appeared happy, but to look deeper was to see something wrong in her eyes, something that wasn't meant to be there.

"But, Crystal!" Lilly objected. She was on the verge of tears. "That can't be! He died over a year before we were born!"

"Time is no more than trivial numbers. It shan't lead me astray from what I've been told since our travels began."

"Oh, Crystal," Lilly sighed, her voice quavering. Tears began to fall softly down her cheeks. "If anyone finds out, they'll...they'll kill you. You'll be murdered if anyone hears about this."

"No one will hear. I'll be sure of that." She fingered a small gold disc on a short chain around her neck absent-mindedly. "We'll stop in the next town we find, and trade in that look of yours for something a little more travel-friendly. I'll take my precautionary measures just before then, okay?"

- - - - -

That night, as the sisters slept, the next wave of messages reached them. For Crystal, it was normal, but for Lilly, these were the kinds of things that only happened in the stories from before she was born.

Crystal was looking out over destruction, the earth scorched. In a blink, the ghost of the bright city that had one been there stood before her.

"All of this was mine," a voice said, seemingly from behind her, but she knew that if she turned to look, noone would be there. Noone ever was there. He was gone, along with his city.

"I know this isn't real. Vegas is destroyed, and you're dead. It isn't real," she said, sadly. Oh, how she wished it was real, that it truly stood before her, and that when she turned around, a man would stand there. But it was a hopeless wish. It was just a dream, it was always just a dream.

"Yes, but _you're_ real. You live. But you don't live as you could. You could have everything. You could have power. I've told you that before, I remember, but you don't seem to understand. If anyone can avenge the destruction they brought here for the sake of their precious Free Zone, it's you."

"But I can't do anything like that! I'm not good at plotting that kind of stuff," Crystal objected. "And that goody-two-shoes prick they call my sister isn't gonna make it any easier. When we were little, she used to dream of being a hero in that old story. She was always trying to convince me that she'd had dreams about the Free Zone and a 'new dark force rising,' and then she'd beg me to go with her so we could stop it. All I did was mention to her where we were going and why, and she started sobbing. There's no way I'd get away with it, she'd tell someone!"

"First of all, I'll continue to guide you until you're on the right path. You know that." Crystal felt a presence, like a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she looked there, and once again saw nothing. "And as for Lilly..." He muttered under his breath after speaking her name, and Crystal knew he couldn't have said anything good about her. She laughed lightly. "Let's just say I've learned a few new tricks since my time ended. You'll know what to do when you have to do it. You can channel the power through that pendant, though you won't be as strong as you could be until you get the other one." Crystal just nodded, agreeing to everything that had been said, and just hoping she'd figure out what it all meant later. She didn't want to risk appearing ignorant. And with that, it ended, and she was back in the shelter of a broken-down car that noone had found the time to dispose of yet. Without thinking, she placed her left hand on her right shoulder, as if expecting to feel something there, but still, there was nothing. A somewhat disappointed sounding sigh escaped, as she wished that same wish once again. She looked to her sister, who was still fast asleep.

Lilly was walking through the streets of a city she shouldn't know, but for some unknown reason, she knew where to go. She continued on, many people smiling at her as she walked by. It seemed like a nice place, with very friendly people, and the sun was shining. But it was still cold.

She finally reached the place she was looking for. One of the houses, not seeming any different from the others, stood before her, but for some reason, she felt that she had to be there.

The door opened, and she found herself drawn inside. By what, she wasn't sure. It was a nice place, with a free-standing fireplace and one wall taken up entirely by a window, but there was something about it that made her feel uneasy. It felt like some cross between fear, suspense, and just a tinge of sorrow. For a moment, she considered leaving, but somehow couldn't bring herself to do it. A nervous laugh escaped her lips. _Now, why would I leave this place just because I get a strange vibe from it?_ she though, almost amused with the notion. _I get strange vibes from everything! _

She attempted to shake the feeling, but it still wasn't entirely gone. She began to look around curiously, and stopped in front of a door. But a door to what? Lilly sighed. Probably just a basement, and why should she be bothered to go down there? She turned to leave, not seeing any reason for her to be in there, when there was a sound from the direction she'd been facing previously. She looked back to see the open door - it _had_ been to a basement from the looks of things - and found herself facing a black-haired man not much older than herself, by the looks of it.

"I...I'm s-sorry," Lilly stammered, nervously. "I...I didn't r-realize anyone was...was here. I guess I...I'll be going, now, and leave you alone..." It wasn't so much that he himself scared her, as there didn't seem to be a threatening thing about him. It was the fact that she'd been found somewhere she maybe wasn't supposed to be, and she'd always hated being in any sort of trouble. Trouble was Crystal's business, not hers.

"It's okay," he said, and smiled at her. "You were supposed to come here."

"I was? Okay..." she said, trailing off at the end, somewhat in disbelief. "Er...Why?"

"I needed to talk to you about something. You don't mind, do you?" he asked. Lilly just shook her head 'no,' that she didn't mind. "Alright, then I guess I'll get straight to the point. Something is coming. Something a lot of people won't like, and didn't like before."

"_Him_..." Lilly said, to herself more than to the man in front of her. Then, she thought, _Oh, my gosh. This is one of those dreams, like in the stories. _That fact frightened her, as well.

"Actually, this time it seems to be more of a...more of a _her_. But the concept is pretty much the same. This new one coming, though...She's got different power, the kind that there's no way to learn in this world you live in. She's got help from someone who's seen both sides."

"Both sides of _what_?"

"Both sides of being: life and death. There's not much more I know now to tell you, except for the fact that you are of great importance in the fight to end it again, hopefully for the last time." Lilly gasped at the what he said. She had help, guidance, it seemed, from someone who'd seen both life and death. _He told me. Time is no more than trivial numbers. It shan't lead me astray from what I've been told since our travels began._ That was what Crystal had told her.

"Well, I don't know what I can do for now, without more information, so just...keep me updated," she requested. He nodded in reply. Lilly smiled. There was something she liked about this man, but she wasn't sure what it was...Maybe just the fact that he tolerated her more than most people. "Maybe we can talk in real life sometime about something less...evil?"

"I'm sorry, Lilly, but that can't happen. Even if you would've come almost twenty years ago, when I was here, 'talking' wouldn't have been the word for the conversation...In fact, you should enjoy that gift while you can." At this, Lilly was completely confused. "Hm. 'Real life.' I remember that..."he said, in a nostalgic sort of tone.

All of a sudden, Lilly's surroundings whirled about, and she was unable to distinguish one thing from another. When it stopped, she was horrified. She stood in the same spot, but the house around her was obliterated. Everything was rubble and ashes, and that man was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, she was all too sure where she was, and who she'd been talking to.

She awakened with a jolt, to find that her sister was already awake, and watching her.

"Are you alright?" Lilly asked, noticing how Crystal held her shoulder so awkwardly.

"Yes, of course," she said, and hurriedly folded her arms across her chest. "But I'm not so sure if you are." Lilly then felt something on her cheek. She ran her hand over it, to find water. At some point in that dream, she'd begun to cry, though she wasn't sure if it was for her sister and the danger that the situation put them both in, or for the somewhat charming Nick Andros and his untimely death.

- - - - -

When they climbed out of the car and looked in the direction they were headed, the sisters could see a city not too far away.

"We'll be able to make it by this afternoon if the weather holds up," Crystal said, as she started on her way. Lilly hurried to catch up.

"Why are we on foot, anyway? We're old enough to drive, and most of the roads have been cleared enough to get through without much trouble."

"I do things as I'm told, without questioning," Crystal replied. "Now is the time to make sure no one will hear of this from you, Lilly." The way to do so suddenly flooded into her head, just as had been promised. She gave her sister that dangerous look again, and a dreadful thought entered Lilly's mind.

"You're not going to...going to kill me, are you?" she asked, feeling the tears in her eyes again.

"Nothing of the sort," Crystal said, with false sympathy. She wrapped one hand firmly around the pendant of her necklace, and proceeded to place the other over her sister's mouth. Lilly screamed, not caring that there was no one around to hear her.

By the time Crystal let her go, Lilly's scream had faded away to oblivion, though she wasn't sure why. She opened her mouth to ask what had been done, but not a sound came out. She tried again, and failed once more. She placed a hand across her throat, giving her sister a look between confusion and terror. _You should enjoy that gift while you can..._

"And now you can't let anything slip, now can you?" Crystal asked. "Come on, we've gotta get into that city before you die of hypothermia." She began to walk again, the silenced Lilly close behind.

Before too long, they'd reached the sign at the entrance to the city. Crystal said out loud as she read, with a slightly panicked tone in her voice, "Boulder." She swallowed hard. She'd heard of that place.

- - - - -

After a lot of pleading and 'Hey, you promised,' looks from Lilly, Crystal finally gave in, and entered the city. Almost immediately, they were stopped for questioning or identification. People didn't just randomly walk into cities like these two did, at least not anymore, so noone could be too careful.

"What is your business here in Boulder?" a man asked.

"Well, you see, I...Well, I've spent my whole life in the east, and was planning on checking out the west," Crystal said, which was pretty much true. She's spent her whole life in the east, and was going to check out something in the west, so she didn't so much think of it as a lie. "My sister, though...Well, she's not used to this sort of weather, so I promised her we'd stop in the next town we found and find her an outfit with a little more substance before we went any farther in this giant snowflake they call Colorado."

Lilly opened her mouth, about to say something to the effect of, "I can speak for myself," but then shut it, remembering that she no longer could.

"Alright. Seems reasonable. Might I ask what your names are?"

"I'm Crystal Thomas, and this is my twin sister, Lilly." At the strange look the man gave her, she explained, "I have to do the talking, sir. You see, Lilly has no voice to answer with."

"Is that so?" he asked, slowly, looking as though he was in thought over something, and then said, "I'll be back in just one minute."

The man hurried off into a nearby store of some kind or another, and returned only moments later with a spiral notebook and a pen. He explained, "Now you won't have to let your sister answer everything for you," and handed the items to Lilly. It was a brilliant idea, really. Why hadn't she thought of it before?

She opened it to the first page, and wrote quickly. She was lucky, she supposed, that she'd always been a fast writer. She showed it to the man with a smile. 'Thanks. This should come in really handy! I was starting to get sick of listening to Crystal talk.' The man laughed, and nodded his, 'You're welcome.'

Just then, a woman rushed over. "We have company!" she announced, excitedly.

"No, really? I hadn't noticed _anyone_ unfamiliar around," Crystal said, sarcastically.

"Oh, hello. I'm sorry, but you're not who I was talking about. You're certainly new, though. Maybe we can talk sometime. Guess which renowned travelers have finally come back for another visit?" She'd suddenly shifted to talking with the local man.

"No way!" he said, sounding as excited as the woman had. Two people, seemingly having come in on a different road then the one where the girls stood, could be seen walking closer to where they were. "Come on, you two, you should meet them," he said to the Thomas twins, and headed toward the others. A group of people was starting to form out of the woodwork of the city, all approaching the same point. Lilly wrote as she walked.

"Hello. I don't believe we've met," Crystal said, with that strange smile again, to the other visitors, who appeared to be a good bit older than she and her sister. The quiet sister handed over a paper reading, 'I'm Lilly. That's my sister, Crystal. We're just passing through. I figured I'd give you this before my sister took it upon herself to speak for me again. In case you're wondering, I don't talk because I can't.' It was probably a lot to take in, but she might as well say it now and get it over with.

The man read it, and showed it to the woman beside him. They smiled, though somewhat sadly, at Lilly's note. "I'm Stu, and this is Frannie," was all he had time to say before a crowd of old friends gathered to ask about what was going on in the rest of the country. As the girls walked away, over the crowd, he shouted, "If you get the chance, you should talk to Tom."

"Well, that was pointless," Crystal said, jokingly, once they were out of ear-shot. "Why does everyone think we should meet people?"

Lilly wrote a note and handed it to her sister. 'It's probably a good idea. After all, I've heard of those two and of Tom in the stories. I'd like to meet him, if you aren't in too big a hurry.'

"Well, just how do you suppose we should go about finding him?" Crystal asked. Lilly smiled brightly at her sister's somewhat agreement to her request.

'I've heard of the house. I'll know it when I see it.'

And with that, the two girls set off. Each one knew for sure only of her own calling. The two of them walked side by side on different roads.

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RAVFN: Nice chapter, huh? Future ones will undoubtedly be longer.Not bad for the author being new at this...and insane...Very, very insane...

Author: Aw, how sweet of you. You noticed. -gnaws caught tangerine-

RAVFN: How could I not? You chase fruit!

Author: -smugly- And if it ever becomes an Olympic event, I'll win the gold medal, since I'll have had practice.

RAVFN: Anyway, despite the author's questionable mentality, she'd still like you to review!

Author: If you don't, I'll beat you with a grapefruit!

RAVFN: Right...You do that...-mutters- Citrus-loving freak...

Author: -blushing- Thank you!

Author: To me, that qualified as a compliment.

RAVFN: Okay, now you're scaring me BIG time...

Author: You're welcome!


	2. Snowballing Out of Control

Author: Hey, people!

RAVFN: Oh, no...Not again...

Author: No, no, I promise it'll be quick this time!

RAVFN: Oh, alright, alright...

Author: To all who may have read the first chapter, I hope you liked it. If you recognize anything as being from a song or, well, anything, then I don't own it. That's about it. Happy reading! Review, please!

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Lilly looked positively giddy as the oddly-decorated house came into sight up the road. Crystal looked at it with an expression somewhere between confusion and amusement. It was the most interesting sight she'd ever seen, besides maybe that moment with Lilly standing in the snow. Yeah, that one had been funnier, but this was a close second. The yard was done up with images of anything and everything, from religious statues to a plastic cow and numerous lawn flamingoes. When she thought about it, she didn't think she'd ever really seen a lawn flamingo in real life. _Maybe this fellow has the market monopolized_, she thought, and couldn't help but laugh.

Yes, Crystal wasn't the sweetheart her sister was, and it was true that she intended to pick up where Flagg had left off, and avenge his destruction, but she was still quite joyous, sometimes to the point of seeming childish in her excitement over things. In a burst of perky genius, she scooped up a handful of snow. She squeezed it between her long and narrow, yet strong hands, seeming immune to the cold of the snow on her bare fingers.

When she was finally satisfied with her work, she stopped walking and carefully aimed. She waited, watched, adjusted her aim, turned the frozen ball over in her hand several times, and had to force herself not to start giggling. Finally, without warning, she flicked her right arm forward, sending the snowball flying straight into the back of her sister's head.

Lilly staggered slightly as she felt the blow, and then turned, trying to figure out what on earth had just happened. Crystal couldn't help it anymore. She erupted into a fit of giggling, doubled over with her hands on her knees.

A moment later, she saw Lilly's sneakers and bare ankles approach her. She stopped for a moment, seeing that the previously shaking legs were currently in a firm pose, like the stance of a fighter.

"What are you doing?" Crystal asked, pushing herself up slightly, though still bent over, to see her sister's face. Lilly smiled, her hands behind her back, thinking her response. _Just returning the favor._

With a sudden jolt, she shoved an armload of loose snow down the back of her sister's shirt. Crystal yelped, and immediately jumped back upright. Lilly smirked. Her sister wasn't invulnerable to cold. She was just good at letting it look that way.

"Oh, you'll pay for that," Crystal said, starting to laugh again. Pretty soon, they were launching snowballs back and forth as they chased each other around the street. Lilly didn't mind, really. All the running was keeping her from feeling the cold so much. In fact, most of the snow on them was melting quickly.

Lilly launched a perfectly-aimed snowball at her sister, which hit her in the ear. "Revenge!" she cried, as she tackled the quiet sister to the ground, who landed on her bare knees in the snow. Crystal leaned on her sister's back, looking over her shoulder. She scooped up some snow, left loose, and dumped it over Lilly's head, completely covering the girl's hair in a somewhat thick layer of white powder.

In a daring attempt to break free, Lilly took up another armload of snow, this time dumping it down the front of her sister's shirt. Crystal jumped slightly, and went toppling backward. She landed on her back in the snow, and held up one hand in surrender. Lilly leapt to her feet, and did a quick little victory dance. Then, she began to really feel the pain of the cold. Actually, it felt worse than just what she'd dealt with on the walk there, it hurt _really_ bad. She looked down to where's she'd been forced down, seeing the prints her knees had made in the snow. In the left print, the snow was reddened by blood. Looking at it closer, she realized that she'd hit pavement instead of the powder she'd expected first, before skidding onto the snow, but she must've been too numb to feel it. Her left knee and the right side of her left calf were scraped, cut, and bleeding. The rest of her was freezing, and soaked, thanks to the melted snow.

"Gee, I'm sorry," Crystal said, softly, as she got to her feet. Come on, lets go see that friend of everyone's. Wasn't it Tom?" Lilly nodded. "Okay, then. We'll go find Tom, and maybe you can stay there while I go take a look around, see if I can find you something warmer to wear, okay?" Lilly made an 'okay' sign with her right hand. Crystal smiled. She supposed she should be nice to her sister then, so she might not be so troublesome when the time came that they couldn't be on the same side of matters as Lilly's precious Free Zone heroes anymore. In the scheme of things, though, she knew it wouldn't be easy for Lilly to accept that.

And so, they continued on their path to the strangely-decorated house. Lilly walked with a bit of a spring in her step, still perky. Lilly limped slightly, her path marked by scattered drops of red in the snow.

- - - - -

Lilly knocked on the door. A moment later, it swung open, and the girls were greeted by an enthusiastic, "Hello!" from the answering man. He was a good bit older than they were, though they couldn't tell by how much, as there was something quite young-seeming about him. Crystal realized that this man had probably been fairly young when the epidemic struck. Actually, the ones who'd sent them to him might've been, too. She'd never realized how long it had actually been.

"Hi," Crystal said, brightly. She'd be nice to this one, she supposed. She couldn't sense anything from him that she didn't like. Actually, she couldn't sense anything from him at all, even when she got a tight grip on her pendant. He didn't seem a threat to her or her purposes. Of course, the thought that her sister knew of him from the old stories had left her mind in that enthusiasm. "Nice to see you." Lilly waved 'Hello.'

"I don't think I know you two," the man said, as much to himself as to the girls in front of him.

"We're not from here," Crystal explained. "We've come all the way from the east. We talked to some people earlier today, and they thought it might be good if we came to see you. Well, I'm not sure if it was you they meant, but my sister led me here, and she knows a lot about this place. I'm Crystal Thomas, and this is my twin sister, Lilly," she explained. "Is this the one, Lilly?" The quiet one nodded, and made an 'Okay' sign. "Oh, and by the way, my sister...Well, she doesn't talk. She can't."

Lilly was nearly taken aback by the seemingly well-practiced way her sister explained her silence. She'd rehearsed that bit at some point. It was a very unsettling thought, really...But there wasn't time for that just then, she realized, looking down and seeing how the blood was pooling around her feet. The girls were also both dripping wet from the melted snow. In truth, they really must've been a strange sight to see on someone's doorstep.

"Why, you got hurt, didn't you?" the man said, as more of a statement than a question. "That's a real shame...Lilly, right? That's what she called you. M-O-O-N, and that spells 'Lilly Thomas.'" Lilly smiled. "But, anyway, come in. It's freezing out here, laws, yes, it is. Come in, and we'll see if we can fix that," he added, looking toward the girl's injured leg. He walked back into the strange house, the two girls right behind him. "Name's Tom, by the way. Tom Cullins." Lilly nodded, 'I know.'


	3. Dream Connection Seemingly Innocent

Author: Hey, this is the third installment! And I'd like to thank the ones who read my story just for reading it. I don't know who you are, but thank you, anyway! Sorry for the short chapter, by the way, but the next bits sort of go together, and tacking them onto this one might make it horribly long...

And to the great and almighty po: Thanks for the review! And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the orange! YAY! Yeah, I couldn't possibly write a Stand fanfic without Nick. He has to be there, you know? And no worries about Lilly seeming too calm. In the beginning of things, she's still kind of shocked, and still trying to be so sweet and perfect. It takes a while sometimes, but everyone has a breaking point. -hint, hint-winks- I'll try to be a little clearer about her thoughts/feelings along those lines... And I am honored, even if it ISN'T VIP...

-

Lilly now sat and talked with Tom. In the time there, she'd managed to sufficiently bandage her leg, and her sister had gone out in search of a clothing store. It was a bit difficult to carry on a conversation, as she'd taken to writing things, and he couldn't read. But she was making do with a sort of ad-libbed sign language.

"You know what? I thought of something," Tom said to her. Lilly looked at him, tilting her head to one side. 'What?' "You remind me of my friend Nick, laws yes. He was pretty smart, and he came a long way to Boulder, too. He couldn't talk, either, but he also couldn't hear. You can, can't you?" Lilly nodded. 'Yes, I can.' "Thought so. You two probably could've been friends, if he was still around. He talked to me for a while after he was gone, in the dreams, but he hasn't for a real long time."

Lilly perked up at these words. She excitedly pointed to herself, and nodded. Tom watched her for a minute, looking slightly confused. She thought for a minute, trying to figure out how to explain. Finally, she closed her eyes, 'sleep,' then pointed to her head, 'think.' Together, the two sort of meant 'dream,' she guessed. Then, she moved her mouth, like she was talking to someone. Then she pointed to Tom, nodded, and once again pointed to herself and nodded.

"Dreams, right? And talking..." Tom said, as he started to put the pieces together. Lilly waited patiently, hoping she hadn't done anything too hard. "And Tom..." A perfectly blank look came over his face as he thought back on their conversation. 'He talked to me for a while after he was gone, in the dreams...' And that was when Lilly had started. "You've talked to him, too? You talk to Nick in dreams, like Tom did?" Lilly nodded, and made an 'Okay' sign. 'Yes, you got it right.' She smiled. He seemed very happy.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Lilly jumped slightly.

"That would be your sister, right?" Lilly nodded again. Hurriedly, she repeated her motions about the dreams, then pointed to Tom, 'you,' imitated talking again, pointed to the door, 'Crystal,' and shook her head. "The talking in the dreams, your sister, don't talk...Don't tell her? Don't tell Crystal about the dreams?" Lilly nodded, relieved that he'd figured that one out quickly. "Okay, I won't. But I have to let her in, still." He went to answer the door. Lilly's breath came funny, making the rising and falling of her chest irregular. If she would've still had her voice, laughter would've filled the air at the thought of leaving her sister outside, standing

at the door.

Crystal walked in, with a smile, carrying a large bag. "Come on, Lilly. Come with me," she said. Lilly got up and followed her sister into an empty room. "Here," she said, handing the bag to her sister, who was glad to find a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and a fairly heavy jacket. Crystal stepped out of the room, and Lilly hurriedly changed, glad to no longer be soaking wet and freezing.

The silent girl then bounded out to the room where the others waited. She stood before her sister, head tilted again. 'This better?'

"Yeah, at least now you won't turn into a popsicle," Crystal said, with a shrug. "So, when are we leaving?" Lilly shook her head. 'I don't want to leave.' "We've gotta go eventually, sis. We have...things to attend to, remember?" Lilly gave her a pleading look. Crystal stared at her coldly for a minute, but when it was clear the girl wouldn't give in, she sighed. "Fine, we can stay for a few days." Lilly smiled triumphantly.

-

The three of them had talked for a long time, Crystal reading out notes of her sister's when Lilly couldn't think up a good way of motioning it out. Through the conversation, Lilly had learned a lot about this city, which she intended to make her home, and Crystal had learned much of the goings-on from before the destruction of Las Vegas that Flagg probably wouldn't have even been able to tell her if she'd thought to ask.

It grew late, and a strange darkness was forming in the back of Crystal's mind. She'd have to get somewhere where she could manage to try whatever sort of thought-based communication this was without being found out. From what the girls had been told when they were younger, such meetings sometimes had obvious effects, sometimes permanent ones, like that woman with the white hair. Crystal had never bothered to memorize that aspect of the story (she'd never liked that woman and her trickery much, having always somehow known the truth behind it somehow, though it was supposedly unknown), but she knew Lilly would tell her all about it if she knew what was going on.

"It's getting a little late. We should go, and find a place to stay while we're here," Crystal said. It was true, even though none of it was the reason she wanted to get away.

"You can stay here," Tom said. "This place is pretty big, and I'm the only one that lives here." _Obviously_, Crystal thought. _Who else would put up with this decorating scheme? _"There's plenty of room, laws yes. Would you guys like to stay?"

"That could work..." she said, and decided that shutting herself in one of those rooms was as good as a room anywhere else. Lilly nodded, handing her a note. 'Who else do we know here who'd let us stay?' Crystal sighed. They didn't really know anyone else, anyway. "Alright. That's what we'll do. Thanks!"

Crystal was shown to where she would stay. Lilly would've gotten her own space, as well, but before that could be arranged, she was already sleeping peacefully on the couch she'd been sitting on throughout the day.


End file.
